1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a loudspeaker of substantially, or at least partially, flexible construction suitable for incorporation into a garment or other soft object. The invention further relates to a garment including one or more such speakers.
2. Description of the Related Art
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,700 (Olympus Optical Company Limited), a personal portable audio device is provided in a garment, such as, a vest or waistcoat, by placing components, such as, a tape recorder and a power source, in pockets in the garment and by providing a conventional speaker in each shoulder of the garment, between the surface cloth and a lining. However, no special constructions of any component are disclosed, and it would appear that conventional speakers are used, so that attachment to the garment may not be easy.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,364 (Giancarlo Giannini), a sound-generating garment is disclosed in which flexible switches are provided at the shoulders, elbows and knees, each arranged to provide a musical sound in response to movements of the wearer, but the musical sounds produced are naturally limited in range and complexity.
According to the invention, an audio speaker comprises a diaphragm, connection means for connecting the diaphragm to a source of electrical signals, and a concave cover comprising a heat-molded textile material having a ceramic textile coating. With such a construction, which may be achieved through use of conventional garment fabrication techniques, the resulting speaker has a greater or lesser degree of flexibility such as to make it suitable for incorporation into a garment or other such uses where a solid and rigid construction would result in discomfort for a user.
The concave cover may be arranged to form a back cover or a front cover for the diaphragm. Preferably, the diaphragm and the concave cover are secured in a central aperture of a piece of conventional textile, for incorporation into a garment.
Also in accordance with the invention, there is provided a garment or fabric item comprising an audio speaker as described above. Such a garment or fabric item may comprise a plurality of concave areas on the outside surface, with each such concave area having a conductive area co-operable with a conductive switch on the rear of the audio speaker.
Alternatively, such a garment may include a hood portion and comprise a pair of the audio speakers within the hood at respective locations, such as to be over the users ears when the hood is worn, as an alternative to the user wearing headphones. With such a garment, the hood portion preferably includes a zipper portion through separation of which the respective speakers may be moved to positions on shoulder portions of the garment, thereby allowing the wearer of the garment to chose between listening to output of the speakers alone (hood up) or with others (hood down).